The manufacture and design of today's mobile stations (also known as mobile phones, PDAs, pagers, laptop computers and the like) is constantly evolving. Early mobile station designs were necessarily large and bulky. The radio communications equipment and battery units necessary for their operation generally were carried in one oversized unit; although in at least one early and cumbersome design the unit was actually divided into two pieces which were then connected by a power cable. Advances in integrated circuitry and electricity storage technology have enabled mobile station designers to create smaller and smaller devices. These instruments are not only lighter, but also less cumbersome and easier to transport. For example, mobile stations are no longer required to be permanently installed in automobiles or connected to bulky separately-carried battery packs. Essentially, today's smaller, more useful mobile stations have simply become more fashionable.
Unfortunately, several drawbacks have followed this new fashionability and convenience. For example, the increased mobility of today's mobile stations has the unintended drawback of subjecting these mobile stations to an ever-increasing number of potentially damaging environments. For modern day consumers, these environments include pockets, briefcases, purses, gym bags, glove compartments and toolboxes where the mobile station can contact harmful solid objects and moisture that may cause structural and/or cosmetic damage to the relatively delicate internal and operational elements (e.g., LCD displays, microphone and speaker ports, keypads, etc.) of the mobile station. Accordingly, mobile stations are highly susceptible to damage. To make matters worse, market forces continue to drive mobile stations smaller, therefore, making it more difficult to add bulky structural reinforcements that might protect the mobile stations.
This risk of damage is exacerbated by the number of externally accessible components that are provided on modern mobile stations. One of the most prominent of these components is the visual display. Initially, such displays were limited to small, light emitting diodes (LEDs) that indicated whether the mobile station was “on” or, regarding mobile phones, whether a call was in progress. Gradually, more advanced LED displays were developed that were capable of displaying a dialed telephone number, the current time, or other simple information. More recently, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have become commonplace. An LCD is made by sandwiching an electrically sensitive liquid-crystal material between two very thin pieces of glass or other transparent materials. They are, therefore, easily susceptible to damage by even a relatively minor impact. Despite the hard, transparent cover or similar protective device, generally added to limit this vulnerability, LCDs remain one of the most easily damaged components in modern mobile stations.
The folded mobile station design has developed, in part, to provide greater durability to modern mobile stations. As will become apparent, folded mobile stations also provide increased utility due to their relatively compact size. A folded mobile station is one that may be, generally speaking, folded from two parts into one more compact part. More specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, folded mobile stations 100 are generally comprised of a first functional component 101 and a second functional component 102. The first and second functional components 101, 102 are mechanically coupled to one another by a hinge assembly 175 such that each may be folded over the other in a clam-shell type action. Accordingly, folded mobile stations 100 possess an “open” and a folded or “closed” position.
FIG. 1A provides one example of a conventional mobile station 100 (a mobile phone) oriented in the open position. As known to one of ordinary skill in the art, the first and second functional components 101, 102 of the mobile station 100 include various internal circuitry and operational elements. For example, the first functional component 101 is depicted as including a LCD 150. The LCD 150 is visible through, and protected by, a clear plastic cover 151. A speaker port 154 is comprised of a series of small openings formed in the first functional component 101 adjacent to an internal speaker (not shown). The first functional component 101 also typically includes circuitry for driving the LCD 150 and internal speaker (not shown).
The second functional component 102 of a conventional mobile station 100 generally includes a microphone port 155 that is adjacent to an internal microphone (not shown). A keypad 160 is also provided that is comprised of a series of keys extending through a plurality of openings from an otherwise internally disposed key mat. As with the first functional component 101, the second functional component 102 also houses the internal circuitry associated with the above described microphone 155 and keypad 160. An antenna for facilitating radio frequency (RF) communications (not shown) may be located in either the first functional component 101 or the second functional component 102, or may be distributed between them. Mobile station batteries (not shown) are typically stored in the second functional component 102, due to the limited space available in the first functional component 101 as a result of the LCD 150 and speaker 154 placement. An external power supply (not shown), such as an AC adaptor, may be connected through a power port 144. Similarly, external headphones (not shown) may be connected to the mobile station 100 at the external-device port 145.
When the mobile station is “opened,” the user has access to the keypad 160 and can conveniently place the speaker port 154 and microphone port 155 in a position for voice communication. The mobile station 100 may also be “closed” by folding the first portion 101 to meet the second portion 102 in a clam-shell action as indicated by the arrow. FIG. 1B illustrates a known mobile station 100 in the closed position. Advantageously, the first functional component 101 and the second functional component 102 close in such a manner as to protect the keypad 160 and LCD 150. Generally speaking, known mobile stations 100 cannot be used in a closed configuration, although such functionality may be achieved by employing an external microphone and speaker (not shown). Such devices are often used in ‘hands-free’ operation, and are readily connected through an external-device port 145. As alluded to above, the folded design of modern mobile stations 100 is distinguishable over predecessors by accommodating safe storage on belts, in pockets, purses, or glove compartments without subjecting the sensitive internal components to damage from keys or other objects frequently encountered in such environments.
As should by now be apparent, folded mobile stations 100 possess features that are both useful and desirable to consumers. In addition to the durability and size improvements discussed above, many users prefer the aesthetics of folding designs over others. Despite the above improvements, the conventional folding mobile station design depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B is still not optimal. For example, conventional folding mobile stations 100 use a cylindrical hinge assembly 175 similar to a standard door hinge to bind the first functional component 101 to the second functional component 102. As illustrated in FIG. 1C, this hinge assembly 175 is relatively complex, requires labor-intensive assembly operations, and may be costly to manufacture.
In particular, conventional hinge assemblies 175 are comprised of hinge members 176, 177 and 181 that extend from the first functional component 101, and hinge members 178 and 179 that extend from the second functional component 102. These hinge members 175-179 and 181 are held together by a hinge pin 180 that extends through openings (not shown) formed in each hinge member. During assembly, the hinge pin 180 must be carefully inserted through the openings provided in the hinge members 175-179 and 181, and also must be threaded through a pre-assembled spring 182, a profile indent part (dynamic) 183, a profile indent part (static) 184 as shown in FIG. 1C. These latter components are provided to maintain the mobile station 100 in either an open or closed position as known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Finally, a flexible printed circuit or cable bundle 185 must be awkwardly wrapped around the pin 180 to ensure that the first functional component 101 is electrically connected to the second functional component 102.
As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the complexity of the above hinge design results in cost-prohibitive and bulky hinge assemblies. For example, the above hinge assembly requires precision elements, high part counts, and relatively long assembly times that all add to the manufactured cost. In addition, the complex prior art hinge designs hinder the ability of designers to make stylish modifications. In light of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved hinge design for a foldable mobile station that is relatively simple to assemble and compliments the overall aesthetic appeal of the mobile station. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide a hinge design that maintains the durability and size benefits realized by the development of modern foldable mobile stations.